Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver’s First Lady Mary Louise Lee filmed a nice holiday greeting to the People of Denver, saying they “couldn’t be more proud of what our city has accomplished over the past year.”

Especially, I would imagine, voting him into office. The mayor and the first lady stand next to a poinsettia in the Cableland mansion, which is officially the mayor’s residence but not where Hancock lives.

In the YouTube video, Hancock says the city is “delivering a world-class city where everyone matters.” Lee acknowledges Danny Felipe-Morales, who for three years has been gathering blankets and clothing for homeless people.

Hancock and Lee also say everyone should pause and reflect on the year’s past and have an open heart to what lies ahead in the new year. However, Hancock is likely to have a bumpier year ahead than he did in the final five months of 2011 after being sworn in in July.

Hancock will be faced with recommendations from the financial structural task force that will likely encourage him to raise trash fees and ask voters for a mill levy tax hike. He’ll have to figure out what to do with the libraries, which are continuing to face cutbacks.

Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher today sent a letter to Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Denver Council President Chris Nevitt outlining what he thinks is a strategic plan to create a viable National Western Stock Show & Rodeo and provide for additional economic development.

The plan has five key points, according to a press release sent out this morning:

– Acquisition and management of the Stock Show facilities by the city;
– Develop public-private partnerships to acquire and improve necessary property and buildings and implement other elements of the plan;
– Enter into discussions with appropriate institutions to establish a Western Heritage Visitor Center and Museum;
– Expand on the Visitor Center and Museum with the renovation of nearby historic structures into a western heritage ‘locale’;
– Utilize adjacent land to establish an Agricultural Biotechnology Business Campus with an emphasis on livestock genetics and breeding.

“I am very excited about the idea of creating an AG Biotech Business Park,” Gallagher said in the release. “This is a natural fit with the Stock Show and it is a growing and ‘green’ business that can have a tremendous impact not just on Denver but the entire region and I have shared this idea, along with the others, with Governor Hickenlooper as I thought it would be of interest to him.”

Gallagher said he has already had discussions with interested parties regarding the plan including representatives of Colorado State University and real estate experts and investors.Read more…

Today, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan has a guest commentary in The Denver Post, expressing “deep concern” about Denver’s withdrawal from the RTA application that would have helped the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo’s facilities relocate to Aurora.

In the commentary, Hogan also suggested the two cities begin annual lunch meetings “where we can discuss, face-to-face, our plans for forward economic development to benefit all citizens of the region.”

Amber Miller, spokeswoman for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, said this morning that the first meeting among the leadership of the two cities has been scheduled for Dec. 22 with details about place and time to be released later.

Aurora is still an applicant for the RTA, a program that allows developers to pocket a portion of state sales-tax revenue their projects generate for a period of 30 years.

Aurora seeks $85.4 million under the RTA to help build a 1,500-room Gaylord hotel. Denver was hoping for $6.1 million for the stock show to move to a site adjacent to the hotel.

Incoming Denver Police Chief Robert White will get to live at the Cableland mansion's guest house while searching for a permanent place to live.

Denver’s incoming police chief Robert White will live at the Cableland mansion’s guest house while he seeks a permanent residence in the city, according to the mayor’s office.

White’s contract was approved at last Monday’s City Council meeting, an agreement that includes $15,000 for relocation expenses. The stay at Cableland will cut down on those expenses, said city spokeswoman Amber Miller.

Denver Police Officers hold the line as they remove belongings left behind after clearing Civic Center Park after the sixth Saturday of Occupy Denver marches on Saturday. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said the city is trying to figure out how to avoid having the confrontations that have been occurring on the weekends.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said he is pleased with the city’s response so far to the Occupy Denver protest and says the city will remain “consistent with our policies, communications as well as our application of what we said are the policies of the City and County of Denver.”

In other words, Occupy Denver protesters can expect a persistent police presence in and around Civic Center Park as well as a refusal to let the protesters erect tents, camp in the park or set up food tables without a permit.

Hancock on Monday said he gets hourly updates about the Occupy Denver protest and even received updates during his recent trip to Japan, where he was leading a delegation to try to lure a direct flight from Denver International Airport to Japan.

Hancock said he believes the consistent message and enforcement by police is “helping us to effectively deal with Occupy Denver and make sure it doesn’t grow to a place that is uncontrollable or where we are placing the Occupy Denver folks in danger or the police officers in danger.”

“I think the question that has to be answered is .. and we’er going to try to figure this out … is how do we continue to try to avoid some of the flashpoints that have occurred on the weekends,” Hancock said. “Because I think that puts our officers as well as the Occupy Denver folks at an unnecessary place as far as safety is concerned.”

Former Denver mayoral candidate Jeff Peckman, who made a name for himself pushing an initiative to form an extraterrestrial commission, is hoping President Obama will “formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race” while he is in Denver.

Peckman, known as the UFO guy during this spring’s campaign, received 803 votes in the May election. He said he wants the White House to “immediately release into the public domain all files from all agencies and military services relevant to this phenomenon.”

Peckman says 11,000 people have signed the “We The People” online petition on the White House’s website, urging Obama “to disclose this long-held government secret.”

A White House spokesman reached Monday did not have a comment.

This should come as no surprise but fervent speculation is that Obama likely will not address this issue during his stay here through Wednesday.

Peckman has written an online article on the issue that can be accessed here.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock says he is not interested in mayoral control of DPS.

Hancock in a meeting with The Denver Post editorial board on Friday said when he was a candidate, he met with people in the education world who urged him to consider mayoral control of DPS.

Hancock said that his advisers looked at the issue and what led other mayors to take control of their city’s school district — including Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and New York.

“That kind of chaos, lack of performance, lack of vision doesn’t exist in Denver,” Hancock said. “I do not believe we are a candidate for mayoral control. I want to run the city. I think the current system works. I am not looking to run the schools. … We looked at it and moved on. It is a tool that the states and localities have available to them. I know it’s available. But I am not utilizing it.”

In Denver’s school board race, former Denver Mayor Wellington is endorsing two candidates from the so-called “education reform” crowd and one candidate who generally falls on the opposite side of that debate.

Arturo Jimenez

Webb, who left office in 2003, said he is for Allegra “Happy” Haynes for the at-large seat and Anne Rowe for the southeast Denver seat on the seven-member board.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.